Etihad Airways signs codeshare partnership with UK's Easyjet

14 January 2020

 

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has signed a codeshare partnership with UK-based low-cost carrier Easyjet to give customers of the two airlines access to both networks in Europe.

Effective immediately, customers will be able to purchase tickets on the Easyjet website from 68 cities on the airline’s network in Europe to Abu Dhabi, connecting on to Etihad Airways flights from 10 European gateways in Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome, Geneva, Madrid, Manchester, Milan Malpensa, and Zurich.

Both airlines plan to expand the partnership to include more destinations in the future.

Etihad said the partnership is the first use of its ‘new distribution capability’ (NDC) platform that allows it to sign new partnerships that were previously not possible. Etihad plans to add more airlines and travel partners to their NDC portfolio in 2020.

Logical leap

Ali Saleh, Etihad Airways vice president alliances and partnerships, described the new collaboration as a logical leap forward for both companies.

“Easyjet is a perfect launch partner for us in Europe, allowing us to reliably increase the breadth of our continental reach to and from Abu Dhabi, as we enhance ways of connecting directly with more airlines and travel partners around the world,” Saleh said.  

“The ability to provide end-to-end booking capabilities through our NDC platform will provide customers with ‘one stop’ solutions for seamless travel with partners, whether legacy or low-cost, through Etihad’s global gateways.”

Rachel Smith, Easyjet’s head of commercial partnerships said: "We're excited to announce our partnership with Etihad Airways, which opens up Abu Dhabi as a destination to our passengers and more of Europe to Etihad. Through smart self-connections and strategic partnerships, we continue to extend the reach of the worldwide by Easyjet network offering more value and more routes to more customers."

The partnership follows the creation of Abu Dhabi Air Arabia, a new low-cost carrier that will operate from the UAE capital.

The new airline, an independent joint venture company that will operate from its hub in Abu Dhabi International Airport, is expected to complement Etihad Airways’ services from Abu Dhabi, catering to the growing low-cost travel market segment in the region.

 

Kindly supplied by ITP Media Group

 

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